Cognitive: Students will understand the difference between responsible reporting and tattling. They will understand the importance of good friends and how to tell if a friend is good or not. Affective: Students will want to be responsible reporters and to have friends who are good for them. Behavioral: Students will distinguish between tattle-tale behavior and responsible reporting. They will choose correctly between examples of good friends and bad friends.
Ask for a student to volunteer to recount the story of “A Good Friend.”
Ask students if they have ever been nervous in a new situation or new school. When a family moves into a new neighborhood, sometimes it is hard for the children to make friends at first. Can students relate to how Jacinta was feeling on her first day at a new school? Did being nervous and in a new situation influence how Jacinta responded to the stealing she was confronted with? How? Affirm that Jacinta wondered if this new school was a place where it was all right to steal—that maybe her new friend Susan would laugh at her for “making a big deal out of nothing. Maybe that was just the way things were at this school. Maybe everyone was used to it.”
Explain that a certain amount of nervousness is natural when we enter any new situation, and it is also natural not to want to “rock the boat” of the way things are when you are a stranger to a situation. Make the point that, still, right and wrong don’t change from place to place. Stealing is wrong, wherever you go. And not telling on someone when they have done something as wrong as stealing can make us feel guilty and bad, just like Jacinta did until she and Susan told the supervisor.
Mention that there are many situations in life where it is wrong to do nothing at all. Explain that you are going to describe some situations, and you want them to choose the best thing to do.
1. A big boy took a little girl’s doll and threw it in a street. Crying, she is about to run out into the street to get it. You:
a. Beat up the big boy.
b. Shrug and walk away. That little girl is a brat anyway.
c. Stop the little girl from going into the street, telling her you will get her doll for her when there’s a break in the traffic.
2. You see a plume of smoke coming from an apartment on your street. You:
a. Figure someone else will do something about it.
b. Run into a crowded place screaming, “Fire! Fire!”
c. Go up to a policeman you saw on the corner and point out where the plume of smoke came from.
3. Your baby brother comes out from under the table where your aunt lost her medicine bottle. The medicine bottle is now empty, and there is medicine smeared all over the baby’s face. You:
a. Give him some milk and hope he is all right.
b. Tell your mother right away.
c. Go scream at your aunt for not looking harder for her medicine bottle.
Explain that you don't want to encourage them to be tattle-tales and tell on every little thing their friends and classmates do wrong. Still, you do want to encourage them to report bad things like stealing, cheating, hitting or hurting others, bad teasing, dangerous situations, and other things that they know are wrong. Tattling is just trying to get someone else in trouble for a little thing that doesn’t matter much. Responsibly reporting is to stop bad things from happening.
Stealing is a bad thing. Ask students why stealing is wrong. Point out that Jacinta felt bad every time she looked at the boy who had had his lunch stolen. Ask if they wouldn’t feel bad for a boy who had to go hungry.
Draw a T diagram on the board and ask students to think of common situations that would fit under each category. You might start them out with examples, such as Tattletale: Kevin is jealous of Tommy’s new soccer ball. Kevin tells the teacher Tommy is cheating by having such a good new ball. Responsible Reporter: Tilly sits behind Cara. Cara is always scratching her head lately. Tilly looks closely and see little things in Cara’s hair. Tilly tells the teacher she thinks Cara ought to see the nurse about lice.
Ask students to read the Exercise and to write a half-page essay on the questions asked. If there is not enough time to complete it in class, they may take it home and turn it in at the next class session as homework.
Class Session 2
Ask students to do the Questions for Reflection as a way to review and think about the story of the previous lesson.
Ask students to repeat Jacinta's mother's advice to her. Do the students think this is good advice? What advice would they give to a student entering a new school for the first time?
Mention that, since our parents are our “first friends,” we should realize that our parents want what is best for us. Sometimes we just have to trust our parents’ or guardian’s advice, especially if we are doing something totally new. Of course, parents are concerned about what kind of friends we make, because our friends can sometimes lead us into trouble.
Ask students to notice the part of the text that says, “At this point, Jacinta felt she would be glad to be hanging out with any kids at all!” Ask if any of the students have ever felt this desperate for friendship, especially when entering a new group. Have they ever done something they wish they hadn’t in order to try to be friends with someone or to fit into a group? Have they ever done something they knew was bad that they could get in trouble for—and something that they would not have done or even thought of on their own?
Ask students if they have ever had a friend who got them into trouble by encouraging them to play with matches, break a window on an abandoned building, stay out long after dark, take money from their parents, etcetera. If students are willing to share about these kinds of incidents, encourage them to do so.
Then ask them if they have ever had a friend who helped them be good. Once again, if students want to share about this, it is good to do so. Mention that because friends can influence a person for good or for bad, parents want their children to choose friends who will help them be good, not get them into trouble. This is part of parents' wisdom and care for their children.
Tell students you are going to describe four children and their relationships, and you want them to vote on whether that person is a good friend or not.
1. Because Rita is her best friend, Mary told Rita about her mother’s cancer operation, but she asked Rita not to tell anyone else. The next day, two girls come up to Mary and say, “Does your mother have cancer?” Is Rita a good friend?
2. Peter is dying to steal some candy from the local store just to see what it feels like. Karl tells him not to do it. They get into an argument and Peter storms away, feeling very angry at Karl. Is Karl a good friend?
3. Brian and Brad are best friends. Brian is good at basketball, though, and Brad is not. When they are playing basketball at the park with a group of boys, the other boys start laughing at and making fun of Brad’s playing. Brian joins in the laughter and teasing. Is Brian a good friend?
4. Lisa got invited to a birthday party, but her friend Marta did not. Lisa offers not to go in order to please Marta. Marta says, “No, you should go and have fun. I’ll do something fun with my cousins that night, and we can tell each other all about it the next day.” Is Marta a good friend?
Encourage students to make friends with others who are good friends and who encourage them to do good things.
Lesson Objectives
Cognitive: Students will understand the difference between responsible reporting and tattling. They will understand the importance of good friends and how to tell if a friend is good or not.Affective: Students will want to be responsible reporters and to have friends who are good for them.
Behavioral: Students will distinguish between tattle-tale behavior and responsible reporting. They will choose correctly between examples of good friends and bad friends.
Ask for a student to volunteer to recount the story of “A Good Friend.”
Ask students if they have ever been nervous in a new situation or new school. When a family moves into a new neighborhood, sometimes it is hard for the children to make friends at first. Can students relate to how Jacinta was feeling on her first day at a new school? Did being nervous and in a new situation influence how Jacinta responded to the stealing she was confronted with? How? Affirm that Jacinta wondered if this new school was a place where it was all right to steal—that maybe her new friend Susan would laugh at her for “making a big deal out of nothing. Maybe that was just the way things were at this school. Maybe everyone was used to it.”
Explain that a certain amount of nervousness is natural when we enter any new situation, and it is also natural not to want to “rock the boat” of the way things are when you are a stranger to a situation. Make the point that, still, right and wrong don’t change from place to place. Stealing is wrong, wherever you go. And not telling on someone when they have done something as wrong as stealing can make us feel guilty and bad, just like Jacinta did until she and Susan told the supervisor.
Mention that there are many situations in life where it is wrong to do nothing at all. Explain that you are going to describe some situations, and you want them to choose the best thing to do.
1. A big boy took a little girl’s doll and threw it in a street. Crying, she is about to run out into the street to get it. You:
a. Beat up the big boy.
b. Shrug and walk away. That little girl is a brat anyway.
c. Stop the little girl from going into the street, telling her you will get her doll for her when there’s a break in the traffic.
2. You see a plume of smoke coming from an apartment on your street. You:
a. Figure someone else will do something about it.
b. Run into a crowded place screaming, “Fire! Fire!”
c. Go up to a policeman you saw on the corner and point out where the plume of smoke came from.
3. Your baby brother comes out from under the table where your aunt lost her medicine bottle. The medicine bottle is now empty, and there is medicine smeared all over the baby’s face. You:
a. Give him some milk and hope he is all right.
b. Tell your mother right away.
c. Go scream at your aunt for not looking harder for her medicine bottle.
Explain that you don't want to encourage them to be tattle-tales and tell on every little thing their friends and classmates do wrong. Still, you do want to encourage them to report bad things like stealing, cheating, hitting or hurting others, bad teasing, dangerous situations, and other things that they know are wrong. Tattling is just trying to get someone else in trouble for a little thing that doesn’t matter much. Responsibly reporting is to stop bad things from happening.
Stealing is a bad thing. Ask students why stealing is wrong. Point out that Jacinta felt bad every time she looked at the boy who had had his lunch stolen. Ask if they wouldn’t feel bad for a boy who had to go hungry.
Draw a T diagram on the board and ask students to think of common situations that would fit under each category. You might start them out with examples, such as Tattletale: Kevin is jealous of Tommy’s new soccer ball. Kevin tells the teacher Tommy is cheating by having such a good new ball. Responsible Reporter: Tilly sits behind Cara. Cara is always scratching her head lately. Tilly looks closely and see little things in Cara’s hair. Tilly tells the teacher she thinks Cara ought to see the nurse about lice.
TO TELL OR NOT TO TELL
Tattletale ...........................................Responsible ReporterAsk students to read the Exercise and to write a half-page essay on the questions asked. If there is not enough time to complete it in class, they may take it home and turn it in at the next class session as homework.
Class Session 2
Ask students to do the Questions for Reflection as a way to review and think about the story of the previous lesson.
Ask students to repeat Jacinta's mother's advice to her. Do the students think this is good advice? What advice would they give to a student entering a new school for the first time?
Mention that, since our parents are our “first friends,” we should realize that our parents want what is best for us. Sometimes we just have to trust our parents’ or guardian’s advice, especially if we are doing something totally new. Of course, parents are concerned about what kind of friends we make, because our friends can sometimes lead us into trouble.
Ask students to notice the part of the text that says, “At this point, Jacinta felt she would be glad to be hanging out with any kids at all!” Ask if any of the students have ever felt this desperate for friendship, especially when entering a new group. Have they ever done something they wish they hadn’t in order to try to be friends with someone or to fit into a group? Have they ever done something they knew was bad that they could get in trouble for—and something that they would not have done or even thought of on their own?
Ask students if they have ever had a friend who got them into trouble by encouraging them to play with matches, break a window on an abandoned building, stay out long after dark, take money from their parents, etcetera. If students are willing to share about these kinds of incidents, encourage them to do so.
Then ask them if they have ever had a friend who helped them be good. Once again, if students want to share about this, it is good to do so. Mention that because friends can influence a person for good or for bad, parents want their children to choose friends who will help them be good, not get them into trouble. This is part of parents' wisdom and care for their children.
Tell students you are going to describe four children and their relationships, and you want them to vote on whether that person is a good friend or not.
1. Because Rita is her best friend, Mary told Rita about her mother’s cancer operation, but she asked Rita not to tell anyone else. The next day, two girls come up to Mary and say, “Does your mother have cancer?” Is Rita a good friend?
2. Peter is dying to steal some candy from the local store just to see what it feels like. Karl tells him not to do it. They get into an argument and Peter storms away, feeling very angry at Karl. Is Karl a good friend?
3. Brian and Brad are best friends. Brian is good at basketball, though, and Brad is not. When they are playing basketball at the park with a group of boys, the other boys start laughing at and making fun of Brad’s playing. Brian joins in the laughter and teasing. Is Brian a good friend?
4. Lisa got invited to a birthday party, but her friend Marta did not. Lisa offers not to go in order to please Marta. Marta says, “No, you should go and have fun. I’ll do something fun with my cousins that night, and we can tell each other all about it the next day.” Is Marta a good friend?
Encourage students to make friends with others who are good friends and who encourage them to do good things.